Reviews of what I'm reading. Mostly in the Horror genre, but you never know.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Robert Bloch's Psycho: Sanitarium - by Chet Williamson - An authorized sequel to the original Psycho and every bit as good

5 of 5 Stars

Norman Bates has been institutionalized, the deaths of four people on his hands, four murders that we know about.

If you've never read Robert Bloch's 1959 novel Psycho, not to worry, Chet Williamson provides an excellent synopsis to get the reader up to speed on the events which precede Psycho: Sanitarium. Personally, I went back and read the original work so it was fresh in my mind as I read this new volume. I'm glad I did as this gave me a feel for the writing in both books. If I didn't know better, I could easily see how the two could have been written by the same author.

Psycho Sanitarium takes place at a time when Fuller Brush men still fooled around with other men's wives. It tells the chilling tale of Norman Bates' struggle to keep his mother from taking over his mind and just when it looks like she's gone, a shocker, a game changer. From here, the tale goes in delightfully new directions. To say anything more would reveal too much and I certainly don't want to spoil any of the multiple surprises.

Psycho: Sanitarium succeeds on many levels. The depiction of life in the asylum rings true with patients running the gamut from calm to violent and a professional staff of both caring individuals and a few that should be committed themselves. The tone and pacing of the story matches up well with Robert Bloch's original work. All of the characters are well developed, and the story features a number of delicious twists, all within the realm of possibility.

Published by St. Martin's press, Robert Bloch's Psycho: Sanitarium is available in hardcover, e-book, and audible formats.

I give this new book my highest recommendation.

Chet Williamson has been writing horror, science fiction, and suspense since 1981. His novels include Second Chance, Hunters, Defenders of the Faith, Ash Wednesday, Reign, Dreamthorp, and now Robert Bloch's Psycho Sanitarium. He is the recipient of the International Horror Guild Award and has been nominated six times for the HWA's Stoker Award. Chet is also a stage and film actor who has recorded over 40 unabridged audiobooks.

1 comment:

Good to hear. I was curious about this, and I like Chet's writing, but I didn't know what direction he'd take, especially since the motel itself (and the old house on the hill) so strongly define Norman for many of us.